The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) was held between 6-18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. On 10/11/2022, a side event on "The Role of Regional Cooperation in Circular Economy, Sustainable Consumption and Production" was held in the Turkish pavilion of the conference.
DEEP Technical Assistance Project Team Leader Mihail Dimovski moderated a session. Demet Erdoğan, Branch manager at General Directorate of Environmental Management, Cynthia Enchave from Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association, Rıfat Ünal Sayman from REC Türkiye and Ruslan Zhechov , DAI Senior Expert on Clima Med Project attended the session.
After the opening speech of Mihail Dimovski, in the session with wide participation, Demet Erdoğan's studies in waste management and the current situation in Turkey in line with the EU Circular Economy Model, carried out by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change with the aim of determining the strategy and roadmap for the circular economy. Information on the "Technical Assistance Project for the Evaluation of Turkey's Potential for Transition to a Circular Economy" and studies carried out in the context of waste and climate were shared, and targets were set.
It was also mentioned that with the DEEP Project, a "Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan" specific to our country would be prepared, and a "Sectoral Impact Assessment Study" would be conducted to support the preparation of the action plan. In addition, it was stated that in line with the "EU Plastics Strategy and Single-Use Plastics Directive," current practices will be reviewed, and a country-specific roadmap will be developed for single-use plastics and marine litter.
From the Association of Euro-Mediterranean Economists, Dr. Cynthia Enchave shared her knowledge and experiences on urban and rural symbiosis, the role of circular economy in urban planning, renewable energy sources, and biogas applications in her presentation titled “Circular economy and Resilient Cities.” Recommendations on renewable energy integration plans, mobility plans, and urban planning are presented.
Dr. Rıfat Ünal Sayman from REC Turkey presented "Turkey's Sustainable Production and Consumption National Action Plan." In the presentation, he talked about the development of the Sustainable Consumption and Production National Action Plan (STU-UEP) and Roadmap designed to ensure the inclusion of resource efficiency practices in the industry, to encourage the development of environmentally friendly business models that support the circular economy, and to create policy tools that support these actions. He touched on the current situation information and wasted electrical and electronic equipment work.
At the end of the session, a presentation titled “Circular economy and Climate Change” was made by Ruslan Zhechov, DAI Senior Specialist from the Clima Med Project. In the presentation, information on circular economy strategies, smart product use and production, prolonging and implementing the lifespan of products, climate change gains, material and energy yields, circular economy policies and inter-policy correlation were shared.
The session was concluded with the objectives of developing a new perspective and building a sustainable future in our country and the theme of "A livable world with circular economy and green development."
